11 easy cocktail recipes to make at home for a virtual happy hour or any special occasion

If you're looking for a new cocktail recipe to switch things up for your next Zoom happy hour, you probably have all the ingredients you need right at home.

Some cocktails require little more than a base spirit and soda, while others encourage you to include frozen or fresh fruits. If you're saving the sugar for a baking or cooking marathon and don't want to make simple syrup, you can use honey or agave nectar as a sweetener replacement. Adapt whatever you have on hand to fit your own tastes, and get creative with add-ins like fresh mint or basil.

Here are 11 unique cocktail recipes to try at home for a special occasion, created by spirit makers and expert mixologists.

Rituals Zero-Proof Paloma

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Courtesy of Ritual Zero Proof

If you want a non-alcoholic, low-cal alternative that far outshines various mixed fruit juices, try this recipe using Ritual Zero Proof's Tequila Alternative . This spirit alternative is "non-GMO, gluten free, and made of all-natural botanicals" that mimic the smell, taste, and even the burn of traditional tequila, minus the alcohol and calories. Try it in a refreshing Paloma.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Ritual Tequila Alternative
.5 oz. lime juice
4 oz. Jarritos Grapefruit Soda
Lime or grapefruit, to garnish

Instructions:

Pour Ritual Tequila Alternative and lime juice into a tall glass, over ice.
Top with grapefruit soda
Garnish with fruit slice

Whisky Highball

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Photo by Gabi Porter

A "highball" is made from any spirit, poured over ice, and topped with a carbonated beverage. This could be a rum and Coke, gin and tonic, or Scotch and soda.

If you want to try your hand at this traditional drink, use this recipe from Japanese distiller The House of Suntory , featuring their Suntory Toki Whisky.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Suntory Toki Whisky
6 oz. soda water
Citrus slice or shiso leaf, to garnish

Instructions:

Pour whisky over ice in a tall glass
Add chilled soda water
Garnish with shiso leaf or citrus slice

Grand Mint Julep

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Courtesy of Grand Marnier

If you're don't have the time or patience to mix multiple ingredients, try this two ingredient recipe from Grand Marnier, featuring their classic orange-flavored liqueur.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
10-15 fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

Slap mint leaves to release their natural oils
Place leaves at the bottom of a rocks glass or julep cup
Add Grand Marnier and gently muddle (use the handle of a wooden spoon if you don't have a muddler)
Top with crushed ice
Garnish with mint leaves

Tom Collins

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Courtesy of Max Nussbaum

Max Nussbaum is Brooklyn-based mixologist and bartender at Left Bank . He previously served as the bar manager and beverage director at Michelin-starred Delaware and Hudson .

If you don't have fancy cocktail tools at home, Nussbaum suggests repurposing items that you do have. "Use an empty mason jar for cocktail shaker, a mesh colander for strainer, and a metal straw for a mixing spoon," Nussbaum said.

For a classic Tom Collins, Nussbaum uses Sugar Hill gin and lemon juice, topped with soda water for a bubbly refresher.

Ingredients:

2 oz. gin
.5 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz. simple syrup
Soda water
Lemon wheel, to garnish

Instructions:

Mix gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a tall glass
Fill glass with ice, top with soda water
Garnish with lemon wheel

Skinny Margarita

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Courtesy of Max Nussbaum

If tequila is your liquor of choice, try Nussbaum's Skinny Margarita recipe, which excludes the triple sec that is in a traditional margarita. Nussbaum uses a Reposado tequila from Tequila Espoln .

Ingredients:

2 oz. tequila
.75 oz. lime juice (a little more than half a lime)
.25 oz orange juice
1 oz. agave nectar
Lime slice, to garnish

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients together in cocktail shaker
Strain over ice
Garnish with lime slice

Tip: Nussbaum also recommends throwing either frozen chunks of pineapple, freshly sliced jalapeo, fresh basil, or mint leaves to your cocktail shaker for added flavor.

Limoncello

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Courtesy of Max Nussbaum

If you're up for a DIY project, experiment with Nussbaum's recipe for homemade limoncello. "It takes a few week, but it's easy to make and very rewarding, and a perfect addition to spring and summer cocktails," said Nussbaum.

Ingredients:

Bottle of vodka
10 lemons worth of lemon zest
cups simple syrup
Large glass container or empty wine bottles

Instructions :

In glass container, add lemon zest and vodka
Let sit for one week
Strain out lemon zest
Add cups of simple syrup, return to glass container
Let sit for 2 weeks

From there, your homemade limoncello can be added to vodka sodas, mixed port ros wine over ice, or almost anything, Nussbaum said. This recipe can also work well with gin, or tequila and lime zest.

Toronto

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Courtesy of Heaven's Door

Ryan Perry is a cofounder and the master blender for Heaven's Door Whiskey , a Chicago-based whiskey company cocreated with Bob Dylan in 2018.

"A lot of cocktails can be made with ingredients and traditional groceries you already have at home, like eggs and sugar," Perry told Business Insider. "I spend all my time making the whiskey that goes into the cocktails, so I stick with the age-old cocktails, like the ones you see on Mad Men. Not only are they easy to make, they are spirit forward, allowing the base whiskey or spirit to shine through."

One of his go-to cocktails lately is the Toronto, an elegant mix of herbal rye whiskey elevated with spicy Italian amaro and aromatic bitters.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Heaven's Door Straight Rye Whiskey
.25 oz. Fernet Branca
.25 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Cherry, for garnish

Instructions:

Pour all ingredients in cocktail shaker
Add ice, stir ingredients
Serve up, with cherry garnish

Broken Old Pal

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Courtesy of Heaven's Door

Do you use a French coffee press for your morning brew? You can also use it for your evening happy hour, according to Perry. His Broken Old Pal cocktail is a juicy alternative that you can easily do at home, using a French press to infuse fresh grapefruit and mint with the spirits.

Ingredients:

5 oz. Heaven's Door Straight Rye Whiskey
5 oz. Blanc Vermouth
2.5 oz. Campari
Sparkling wine
Grapefruit wedges and fresh mint (bottom of press)
Mint leaves, to garnish

Instructions:

Place grapefruit wedges and mint at the bottom of the French press
Add whiskey, vermouth, and Campari
Press down to infuse the ingredients
Pour over ice into rocks or highball glass
Top with sparkling wine, garnish with mint

Paper Plane

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Courtesy of Heaven's Door

If you enjoy Aperol spritzes, mix things up with Perry's Paper Plane cocktail, a less bubbly option that pairs bourbon with citrusy lemon juice and herbal Aperol.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey
.75 oz. Aperol
.5 oz. Amaro Nonino
.5 oz. lemon juice
Lemon peel, for twist garnish

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice in a cocktail shaker
Strain into a coupe glass
Garnish with lemon twist

When it comes to making cocktails at home, "Don't over complicate them less is more," Perry said. "Let the professionals tinker with the obscure ingredients so you don't spend money messing up good whiskey. I always stick with no more than four ingredients per cocktail."

Pineapple Chili Margarita

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Courtesy of Camarena Tequila

Chris Chamberlain is the national beverage development manager for E&J Gallo Winery, and a mixologist for Camarena Tequila .

"Sometimes, a simple spoon and glass is all you need," Chamberlain told Business Insider on making cocktails at home. "However, I suggest investing in a few quality bar tools in order to expand your options. This would include a Boston shaker, a one and two ounce jigger, and a Hawthorne strainer. A great bar spoon is always nice to have, but any home spoon can also support your efforts."

Chamberlain's Pineapple Chili Margarita recipe offers a fun twist on a traditional margarita, using muddle pineapple and swapping out a salt rim for a mix of chili powder and sugar.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Camarena Reposado
.75 oz. simple syrup or agave nectar
.75 oz. lime juice
.5 oz. triple sec
3 muddled pineapple chunks
Pinch of chili powder and sugar
Rosemary sprig, to garnish

Instructions:

Add all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously
Rub lip of glass in chili mixture
Strain mixture into a glass over ice
Garnish with rosemary sprig

Tequila Old Fashioned

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While a traditional Old Fashioned calls for whiskey, Chamberlain's recipe swaps in Camarena Reposado , a soft-colored tequila with hints of vanilla, caramel, and spice that mimic a mellow bourbon .

Ingredients:

2 oz. Camarena Reposado
.5 oz. agave nectar
2 dashes of bitters
Orange peel, to garnish

Instructions:

Add ingredients into a rocks glass filled with ice
Stir to combine
Garnish with orange peel.

For experimenting with cocktails at home, Chamberlain recommends learning the basic structure of classic drinks, and then mixing it up with personal twists. "(Classic) builds are simple, but offer you the opportunity to explore flavor pairings as well as complimentary spirit substitutions," Chamberlain explained. "Recipes, at their core, are just a road map. A means to an end. Its up to you, the bartender, to navigate the landscapes available to you."